Power Washing and Roof Cleaning Forum

I am glad I was with Hank, and Brett this past weekend and was shown more about DS. I am confident we will find it is a good tool at times in the future. I look forward to becoming proficient with this process too.

As far as noise, I will never like excessive noise when doing anything. I like to be able to enjoy what I am doing. I elected to edit the post and removed the all caps hate comment. I do not want to foment negative dialogue.

I am probably way more sensitive to the damage noise does. I wear two hearing aids from a lifetime of noisy commercial environments. I have come to the conclusion for some people like myself, you may have a predisposition to hearing loss. I was also surprised at some men who had spent more time than me surrounded by high noise levels, but they did not "seem" to suffer as much damage. Maybe just my perception. The ongoing ringing in the ears hours after being around loud equipment tells me damage is being done.

So for what it is worth, don't take for granted the damage you do with excessive decibels for extended periods of time. If you are running pressure washers, love yourself and your family enough to wear hearing protection. (Jmho) The sound of your grand children's voices as they squeal the first time they hear birds chirp is worth the protection. I hear their squeals but not the chirping bird that causes the excitement.

The fact I have a 8gpm 3500 psi Water Dragon pressure washer on the truck makes it clear we understand where it fits in exterior cleaning. We do a lot of pressure washing too.
We use it everyday to pressure wash concrete, paver prep for coatings, rinsing houses, watering and rinsing plants, etc.

Just like my quiet times... So, when it fits our model, we shut the noise down on jobs.

For the most part we down stream. Sometimes it might be easier to just use the 12V but my guess is we DS at about 90%. So many of the homes we do are built into a hill making them 2 1/2 to 3 stories high. The 12V system just can't get those easily.

Hey Bryan,..there is no doubt we are selling the end result,..process is mostly important to the ones doing it and who they argue with on these boards,Ha,Ha,..Customers are shopping for a service that will treat them fair and do a quality job,..this is where your reputation takes over,...they have little interest as a whole in the process,...as they likely haven't a clue anyhow.

If you're dealing with 30 business's in your service area,..and you all achieve the same damage free results,(no dead plants, windows screens left in tact,..etc..) I think it then comes down to personalized customer service,..doing the extras like cleaning a sidewalk or small shed at no cost to the customer,..they remember that. Heck I do that all the time for my own sake.....but the benefit is can separate you from the "other" guy.

It also takes time to build a clientele which will will keep you in business for a long time. If you're just starting out and have nothing else to go on,..with 30 other business's,..it will take time. PERIOD! It takes time if you're not dealing with that.

Showing up on time, doing actual evaluations,..and not Google Earthing a house or a roof.
Sitting down with people and having a coffee goes a long way,..especially with older people who live alone,....you show interest. And it allows them to actually "meet" you,.. And don't just talk about washing,..talk about other things. I've been to customers' houses many times for 2 hours or more,..And I'm not hardly competing with anyone,..I just like to sit and talk with them,..but,..I've learned over the years it goes a long way.

If you prefer to use an electric to wash with nothing wrong with that,..or if you prefer to use a PW,.nothing wrong with that neither,..but do it on how you find it most appealing,..rather that trying to sell something and sacrificing your own comfort level in the business to suit customers. If you're a real washer,.you'll be able to make money doing it how you choose. Customers as a whole are just not that aware of our tools and equipment. And,.they don't really care.

It's like the mechanic using Snap-On tools vs the guy using Harbor Freight tools,..the customer doesn't care as long as the end result is the same.

 

Customers that have had bad experiences with guys using PW'ers realize it was the operator,..not the machine. Even at that,..there are likely just as many bad experiences from "softwash" guys who killed plants using cleaners,..I doubt anyone here is going to stop using SH due to the incompetence of a few others. 


Jeff

-- Edited by Jeff Wible on Monday 16th of January 2017 05:09:10 PM

Here is the thread from then,.it was actually only about 8 years ago. Goes directly at what Bryan is asking. If you're interested,..that is.  As I said,..it will set the bar higher for other services around you.   Funny thing is,. we were doing it because it's how we did it,..not to sell,..BUT,.it did prove to be a big benefit in the perception department,..and is why I mentioned it to begin with at that time.   But,..it definitely does a better job,.not even questionable,..especially on darker oxidized siding.  We still go up ladders and open screens and detail the inside of the window sill. Not just blow through it,.unless they are fixed in place,..then we tell the customer to take them out if they want a more thorough job,..cause we can get to it with our Magic Erasers. This is the kind of stuff that sets you apart.  And,..we did these detailed house washes for 12+ years,..

Some window sills,..especially new customers will most likely need something like Purple Power to get them white as they can be,..but they will still usually at least need Magic Erasers.  Then the next time or two,..you may be able to just chemically clean them.  But the screen still need to be pushed up either way.  I see people talking about one guy soaping and one guy rinsing,...I always wonder if they go up the ladder to detail out the window sills or at least lift the screens.   Either way,..doesn't matter to me,..I am just explaining how to set yourself apart,..way apart from most in this business. 

Take some time on the job,..detail it out,..do extra things.  

And always run a brush over the windows.  

 

http://community.thegrimescene.com/topic/13011-an-option-for-those-struggling/#comment-131271

 

 Jeff

-- Edited by Jeff Wible on Tuesday 17th of January 2017 04:53:15 AM

Michael,..I am working on force feeding my injector with a 12V pump. That is supposed to really up the draw. Other than that,.go down a size or two on injector size for application ,..and remove or by-pass when you're ready to run surface cleaner or the wand. But,..direct application of bad concrete is always gonna be best. Just the way it is.

Jeff

Bryan P wrote:

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I've got a philosophical question. :) Easy to see that there are several processes that achieve the same result (clean house). Question is which are we selling? The process, or the result? Or is it something else...like the relationship with the client? I would say that the client is "shopping" for a clean house...but what is it about the way we market & package our service causes them to pull our product off the shelf over someone else? If there are 30 guys in your town that can get a house clean (probably true for me)...why would someone choose you?

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I think you really answer your own question....."there are 30 guys in your town that can get a house clean ". 

We sell a service. We don't just clean your house/roof/building or whatever. We are worth more than a guy who can clean a house....so we offer a service.

DirtyRoofcom wrote:

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For those of you running chemical through your booster. Do you have any photos or diagrams of how you plumbed it or set it up? I think this would be an excellent solution to those few times a year I really need more distance from my 12v pump.

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 It's pretty simple but does depend. Are you running a mix tank or a ProPortioner?

SprayWash wrote:

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Yes I am using the same pump and hose for application of chemical and for rinsing. Technically it's not a garden hose, it a 1/2 inch Goodyear hose with a psi rating of 250 psi. We dwell chems usually for 10-15 minutes.

On a roof, or delicate landscaping, I'll add a the second pump and another hose for additional rinsing.

Process for a house wash:
1) pull up, stretch hoses, tape plugs, identify problem areas
2) lead guy makes mix while assistant floods landscaping
3) chems applied to 1/2 the house.
4) lead tech has assistant switch valve to water.
5) rinse chemicals off first half.
6) wash second half of house
7) rinse all landscaping again.
8) wrap up
9) repeat steps 1-7 two more Times in a day
10) drink a scotch.

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 Ray, So you pull all your rinse water from a tank versus the customer's faucet? What size tank and how often do you need to refill?

Hey John,..why aren't you soaping and rinsing with the 7 GPM machine? Would make your life so much easier if you're going to be DS'ing.

Jeff

That looks like a lot of work John! We clean a lot of older homes with many different types of siding as well as log homes and have never had any trouble with leakage. We also run into those neighborhoods where the houses are really close and the ability to spray far has helped a lot. Changing the spray pattern plays big in that. We seldom have to touch a brush.

I'm with John 100% we only use 12 volt and rinse with garden hose. I'm going to get a booster pump for rinsing though. I'm thinking about getting a skid made for the new truck. I only use pressure washers for concrete, bus stops and other huge jobs.

Jeff Wible wrote:

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Hey Brett, not trying to get into the whole brushing vs not brushing,..but if he is doing oxidation removal there isn't much choice but to brush. Some claim two-stepping is effective but I haven't found it to be as effective as brushing the oxidation off,..after the application of a strong solvent like Purple Power or just about any of the gutter cleaners. And removing oxidation provides a superior finished job.

I know many guys provide the service at an extra charge. I don't really even mention the choice anymore,..especially on a dark colored tall house. Many times though on a ranch that is badly oxidized I will price it as a house wash with removing the oxidation set into the price,..and net even verbally mentioned.

Window sills and frames always come out better when gutter cleaner is applied then brushed or Magic Eraser,..they just do,..especially on houses that haven't been done for several years. And gutters are almost always brushed for the best results.


Jeff

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 G'day Jeff

Yes, unfortunately oxidation is THE problem, plus dust, and mud-wasps. And road grime

 

Hey John,..wondering what is your choices of products and/or chemicals?

Jeff

Thanks for the info John,..Hey man,..your house wash mix sounds just fine as far as typical mold and dirt goes. Many have used dish liquid to wash houses with for years here,.and I bet some still do. So nothing wrong with that at all.

I would like to give you some recommendations to make the oxidation and grunge removal a bit easier than using only SH/Soap.

Degreaser products work well on oxidation,..look for products with 2-Butoxyethanol,..and Sodium Hydroxide. These chemicals are in products like Purple Power, Castrol Super Clean, and even the cheaper dollar store products like Mean Green.

For the grunge look up 2-stepping like they do on big trucks.

Scrubbing oxidation off and/or removing that grunge that builds up near the top of a house,..(Sometimes all over a house),....is alot easier with more aggressive products.

To stepping in short is the application of an acid and then directly sprayed over with a high alkaline detergent. this reaction really loosens the kind of dirt that seems to be embedded into the siding.

Jeff